No Regrets
by StephanieZorander
Summary: Max has always been willing to give up everything for the flock. But what if Fang doesn't agree with her decision? After TFW.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Right. So this is my first fanfic. Ever. I'd really appreciate any reviews and constructive criticisms.  
Rated T because I'm paranoid like you wouldn't believe.  
Hmmm... I think that's it. Enjoy!**

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So, I thought eventually, where exactly are we going?

Although I didn't exactly care, it might be good to know where we were headed to.

_An Itex headquarters. It was destroyed and evacuated because of a certain rebellion led by kids. Some scientists have regrouped though, so every file, every source of information they have, is going to be there._

So… we can find out what they're up to now? While they're least organized?

_Exactly._

Okay, so either you're familiar with our story, or you think I'm crazy and deranged, talking to myself. To clarify things, I'm talking to a Voice in my head. Big difference, see?

At the moment, I was soaring in the sky, with my happy mutant family, and our talking dog. Oh yeah, and Akila our non-mutant dog. For those of you who don't know, we all have wings. Makes flying a heck of a lot easier. Even our talking dog had wings, although we had to carry him most of the time because he's just learning to fly. We were headed toward Ohio, because my handy dandy Voice informed me that's where my next mission was. I didn't argue, considering the alternative was _school._ Not THE school, where we all became amazing flying kids thanks to some mad scientists, and my dad, Jeb Batchelder, but regular school. Where we would have to _learn_.

There's six of us, seven including Total, the dog. I'm Max, nearly/maybe/possibly 15. Fang and Iggy are 14ish. Fang's Mr. Emotionless, while Iggy's our blind, pyro, chef. Nudge, 11, is the girl who _never shuts up._ The Gasman and Angel are the only true sibs among us, and are about 8 and 6.

Look, you want the full intro to our exciting, fast-paced, action-packed lives, read the first book. Or watch the movie. I think it's coming out soon.

"Hey, Max how long until we reach Ohio? And is there anything in Ohio? Like, anything exciting? Did your Voice even say what we're going to do there?"

I turned to see Nudge looking at me with her big brown eyes, tawny wings beating steadily, her face bright and carefree, as always when flying.

I briefly checked on everyone, and then answered Nudge. "We'll probably reach Ohio in an hour or so. I don't think there's anything to sight-see, but it doesn't matter. We're trying to get information from Itex, which apparently is regrouping in Ohio."

"Why Ohio?" Iggy asked, frowning.

I sighed. "I don't know. Maybe the headquarters in Ohio is the one least damaged by a bunch of angry teens led on by a certain blog?"

Fang smirked, and seeing his dark wings powerfully stroke almost made me catch my breath and declare my love for him. Almost. "Someone has to lead the youth in the right direction."

"Are we going to eat soon?" Nudge, of course. It was hard to enjoy the wind in my face and the feeling of freedom with _Nudge _next to me. "I know you said we'd get to Ohio soon, but I'm kind of hungry right now. Plus, it'd be nice to eat when no one's after us. Well, hopefully no one's after us."

I silently agreed with the last part. "Yeah, let's stop at the next town. We'll find something there."

"Good," panted Total from behind me. "This flying stuff is _really _tiring."

Angel frowned. "Total, you've only been flying for five minutes."

Iggy gritted his teeth. "What's _really _tiring is carrying a certain Malamute that weighs a _ton_. Your girlfriend needs to go on a diet."

Total growled. "You're just jealous of the most beautiful dog on Earth."

I snorted and intervened before Iggy _accidently _dropped Total's 'girlfriend'. "Why don't _you _carry her then?"

Total shut up, and I beat my wings extra hard, and finally let myself feel the rush and exhilaration of flying.

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Using my MaxCard, which amazingly still worked, I found a cheap motel. I was a little wary, considering at one of the last motels we stayed at I got kidnapped and replaced with an evil clone Max. Hey, anything can happen when you're a mutant birdkid.

The plan was to get a good night's sleep and visit the headquarters in the morning. Angel, Gazzy, and Total were on the bed, Nudge was curled catlike on the chair, and Fang, Iggy, and I had to make do with the floor. Which really wasn't as hard as you'd think, considering we've slept in trees before. A lot.

"Max," came Fang's soft voice, which immediately made me tense.

"Uh-huh?" I asked cautiously, matching his quiet tone.

His dark eyes stared into my brown ones, and I had to remind myself to breath steadily and not hyperventilate like a lovesick moron, which I was surprisingly close to doing. "Everyone's asleep. Why don't we go out for a quick flight?"

Oh no. Much as I wanted to, I remembered what happened the last time I went on a night flight with Fang. I really didn't want to go through that sickening swirl of emotions again. I _hated _getting all mushy and girly feeling-y.

"We've got a big day tomorrow," I said, not meeting Fang's eyes. "We'd better get a full night's sleep, so we can be as alert as possible."

"You can't avoid me forever," Fang said quietly. "Just tell me how you honestly feel. Then I'll leave you alone."

"I honestly feel _annoyed _right now," I thoughtlessly snapped, expertly keeping my voice low at the same.

Fang was silent, and I refused to look at him, afraid of what I might see.

I hardly slept at all that night.

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I was the first to get up, feeling seriously _not _well rested. Gee, I wonder why.

"Hey, guys, up and at 'em!" I said loudly. "If you don't get up, guess I'll be forced to cook breakfast for you…"

"Argh, Ig, get off your butt… before she tries to cook…" Fang mumbled groggily, while the others forced themselves up with a sort of desperate effort.

Ah, how I love waking the flock.

After we were all fed I got the flock ready to go. "Let's do this, guys."

I suddenly noticed Gazzy looked really unenthusiastic. I frowned. "What's up, Gasser?"

The Gasman looked down and said reluctantly, "Why can't we have another mission? I thought we were done with Itex."

Surprised I started toward him, but Fang beat me to it.

"Gaz," he said in a startlingly soft voice, "we defeated Itex, but we didn't completely destroy them. We're going to their headquarters so we can be ahead this time, so we can destroy them for good. Got it?"

Gazzy looked a little happier. "Let's do this then," he said determinedly.

But I felt unsettled, seeing Fang step in and take over.

I shook off the feeling. "Let's fly."

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Following the Voice's instructions, we flew in and broke through one of the windows, timing it so we wouldn't be caught on camera. The outside was surprisingly barren, and the building could have been abandoned, except for the fact that the old looking windows were surprisingly secure. Convenient, right?

_Get to one of the computers, or another source of information. Everything's downstairs. Be careful- underground, there are robots patrolling the place._

I thought they were disorganized_, _I thought back irritably. What kind of 'disorganized' group has robots patrolling the underground section of their building?

_Max, this is a big organization. They have backup plans. I don't think you'll have a problem though. The robots are harmless; they merely detect intruders. They can't fight._

Well, that's easier, I had to admit. "Alright guys, we're headed to the basement. They're going to be robots, but they can't fight."

Iggy laughed. "So in other words they're completely pointless."

"Why would there be robots that can't even fight? I mean Iggy's right, they might as well invite us in and show us the way around…"

Nudge rambled on, but she was right. I met Fang's eyes, and he nodded. We'd stay on guard.

"Max," came Angel's voice from around the corner, _where I couldn't see her_. Annoyed with myself for losing track of her, I darted down the hallway and turned at the end, the flock at my heels. Angel was standing there next to an elevator. The door was open.

"I think we can get down there by this. And I don't think they'll catch us," Angel added casually.

"Uh, sweetie? The elevator can get us down there, but there'll probably be security measures against people coming through the elevator," I said reasonably.

"Max," Angel said in a surprisingly steel voice. "It'll work."

Huh? What?

"Alright Ange," Fang stepped in, yet _again_. Hello? Wasn't I the leader here? Did I _say _I resigned? "We'll go that way."

Excuse me?

Fang turned to me, unreadable as ever. "Let's go, Max."

We had a problem. There was no one hallway. It was a branch of three different paths. I had tried to demand, er, politely ask, the Voice which way I was supposed to go, but I guess the Voice decided now would be a good time to ditch the bird kids. Freaking wonderful.

I made a quick decision. "Fang, you take Total and Angel and go left, Iggy can go with Gazzy straight ahead, and Nudge and I will take Akila with us to the right. We'll meet back in 20 minutes with what we find. Watch out for the robots."

The flock obeyed, and I wondered about the wisdom of letting Iggy and Gazzy go together when they high-fived and got identical, mischievous grins.

I shook my head. "C'mon, Nudge," I said, pulling Akila along on her leash. So why did we bring Akila, you might wonder? Well, first of all, she's extremely well trained, although Total claims it's because she's a 'fine young lady'. Then Gazzy claimed Akila can't be a lady because she's a dog, and then Total argued that there was a movie about two dogs called Lady and the Tramp, and Gazzy pointed out that Lady was the name of the dog… Anyway. Basically Total was ready to throw a hissy fit if we left Akila behind.

Nudge and I walked around, dodging any robots rhythmically marching up and down the hallway. Without much trouble, we found some cabinet files. It was insanely easy to simply yank open the drawers and break the locks. Guess we kinda forgot about inconspicuous.

"Search for anything with something like 'Avian' or 'By-Half Plan' written on it," I told Nudge.

We leafed through the files, taking anything that was promising. I was starting to feel edgy, although we hadn't seen any humans so far. Which, call me crazy, was a huge warning sign.

But nothing happened.

Nudge and I met up with the others, who had a variety of papers in their hands. We quickly left the Ohio Itex headquarters.

And nothing happened.

Except for a bomb destroying the building, presumably set by Gazzy and Iggy.

"Hey!" called Iggy as we soared away from the crumbling building. "It's not like there were any people inside."

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At the moment our flock was hanging out in the clearing of some convenient woods.

But I kept thinking about what Iggy had said. He was absolutely right. And that absolutely worried me. That was way too easy. Why?

_Max, it's okay, _my Voice suddenly decided to pop in. _You got what you wanted. Don't ask questions when you know you won't get an answer._

Whatever, I thought, deciding to just ignore the Voice. "Alright, we've got what we wanted. Let's read over it. Let me know if you find anything. Gazzy, just read to Iggy. He'll know what's important."

The flock diligently set to work, myself included. I didn't find anything until…

… _The director has set up an undisclosed lab to contain the subjects. We currently are able to track the leader. When the subjects are confined, the procedure can begin within two days._

Oh, my God. It felt like I couldn't breathe, like someone punched me in the stomach. And, trust me, _that's _happened often enough.

_We currently are able to track the leader._

They could track me. That's how they were planning to find the flock. My flock.

"Find something?" Fang was looking intently at me.

"No," I replied calmly, keeping my thoughts firmly clamped down in case Angel got curious. "I'll keep looking."

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**A/N: Oh, I lied. I wasn't done with the author's note. I've got to ask you to please, please review!**

**Also, most likely the next chapters won't be as long. I just need to know if you want me to continue!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First of all, thank you:**

**OrangeDuck23**

**Fang Raven**

**Starr33**

**and transitticket**

**for reviews, story alerts, and favorites. You guys are so awesome!**

**And Starr 33, I had some replying difficulties, so if you didn't get my message, I did go back and fix that. Thanks for your help!**

**Second of all, I realize I forgot a disclaimer.**

**I do not own any Maximum Ride characters. **

**Everyone good? Alrighty then, here's chapter 2!**

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I was keeping watch, although we had seen no sign of any mutant creature or robot or other unknown trying to kill us. We learned the hard way; better safe than waking up in some scientific lab where you'd face things worse than death. For example.

Actually, I had another reason for wanting to keep watch. Making sure everyone was fast asleep, I crept over to our backpacks, and picked mine up. As quietly as I could, I started to creep away.

I knew what I had to do. I had to keep my flock safe. Those scientists were going to get a surprise when they met a pissed off bird girl. _Without her flock._

I turned one more time to look at my family. The family I loved.

No regrets, I told myself.

But Fang wasn't there. Startled, I glanced again. He was gone.

"Going somewhere?" A voice behind me asked.

I whirled around to see Fang materialize. He was gazing at me intently, as if trying to read my mind. If he could, he'd be hearing some intense swearing.

I maintained a calm countenance, although I almost had a heart attack. "Just going out for a flight." I said lightly.

"With a backpack?" Fang raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I…"

Fang waited, his eyes steadily staring into mine. Stupid, _beautiful _eyes staring right into mine.

"In case I need I snack," I mumbled pathetically, unable to think with his hypnotizing eyes looking at me.

"You really didn't think, did you?" Fang said darkly. "How would the flock feel if they woke up and you weren't there? How about me? The kids would be terrified, thinking you were taken by the School or something. You're our leader. So _why are you leaving_?"

My stomach dropped. I didn't really think beyond 'My flock's in trouble and if I leave them they'll be safe'.

"Look, Fang…"

"_Tell _me, Max," Fang hissed angrily. I'd never seen him like this before, besides the time I asked Ari to join us. It was almost scary. But of course when someone's angry at me, I do _not _take it well. Part of my charming personality. "Why are you trying to leave? What did you find in the files?"

I meet his glare with a glare of my own. "They're trying to take the flock. And they're tracking us by yours truly."

"Max," Fang said urgently, his anger immediately changing to… concern? "They can probably track all of us, but since you're the leader-"

"They're going to go after me," I said in a hard voice, eyes blazing and fists clenched. "And the file says they're able to track me, specifically."

"That's not possible; the chip was taken out…"

I crossed my arms angrily. I didn't have the time to make arguments. "Fang, don't make this harder than it has to be…"

"You're the one making things difficult…"

"_You're_ the one who won't freaking _leave _me alone! The flock doesn't need me. I saw you with Angel and Gazzy. You'd be fine as a leader. And _this _way you won't mess with my emotions every ten minutes. I'm tired of you _throwing _yourself at me when, clearly, I don't want your attention."

Okay, so I felt bad for the last part, but-

"Fine, then leave! You're leadership skills are sadly out of shape anyway," Fang snarled uncharacteristically in a low voice.

"What?" I asked, shock clear in my voice. Fang… had problems with my leadership skills? I remembered him stepping in and taking over, with me shoved in the background. So that's what that was about?

Fang turned white, and I couldn't tell in the dark, but he almost seemed scared. Yeah, right. "Max…"

"I'm outta here." I said.

"Max!" Fang reached out to grab me, but with my super speed, I was long gone.

No regrets.

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Fang's POV

I felt stunned.

_Max left us, her family._

I was such an idiot. Why had I told her to leave?

I knew why. I was mad. I thought Max liked me, like I liked her. Apparently I was wrong.

My stomach clenched. Still, even if Max didn't need me, the flock needed her.

And of course the flock was awake when I got back. Just my luck.

"Fang?" Nudge mumbled sleepily. "There you are; we were looking for you, and Max. Where's Max? Angel said she woke up, and when she couldn't find you guys…"

"It's alright. Max just went out for a short flight. She'll be back," I lied calmly, but my heart was breaking. How could I tell them Max wasn't coming back? They all depended on her. "I'll be on watch, just go to sleep."

How the heck was I supposed to be the leader?

I didn't even know what to do when I heard Angel softly crying.

So Angel knew then, that Max wasn't ever coming back.

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Max's POV

My vision was blurred by the stupid tears that kept coming. I couldn't stop thinking about Fang, and how he told me to leave.

_Max, you did the right thing._

"Shut up!" I screamed at the Voice. I was _not _in the mood. I was flying away, voluntarily, from my family, the only people I could truly be myself with, as corny as that sounds. Worse than that, my best friend had actually asked me to leave, because I wasn't a good enough leader.

I flew on, not knowing where I was going. I considered visiting my mom, but I wouldn't be able to stay there. There was no way I'd put Ella in danger, especially with the scientists tracking me.

I decided to call my mom in the morning.

As for where I was going?

Frankly, I didn't care.

I just flew, not noticing the twelve dark spots flying behind me at super speed.

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**Come on, suggestions, questions, comments? Heck, rate it 1 thorugh 10. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: OMG!!! 14 reviews!!! Now I feel so bad, because this chapter is pathetically short. Exams are over though, so I'll try and get another chapter in later today or maybe tomorrow.**

**So here's my list of awesome people for Ch.2, for reviews, favorites, and alerts:  
Emma- *grins* Yep, I'm continuing. Thanks!  
-xXx 'M' NaMeS RoCk xXx-  
Anonymous  
Fang Raven- Thanks, I'm glad you both like it!  
anne  
Asidill  
xoxoxo Bethany  
Toxic Rain42- Can't resist Bambi eyes. Max'll get there eventually! :)  
Clarinetist  
Stargazer-Look4Me  
FREAKTONIGHT  
The Muse  
TGIF  
What?  
Shahz  
A special thank you to the last four, who read and reviewed my story on request. Thanks guys!**

**So here's Chapter 3:**

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Itex Headquarters- North Carolina (A/N:There ya go, Toxic Rain42!)

"The RCRs have located the subject."

A woman sat in a desk, her steel face unreadable besides the slight narrowing of her black eyes. She was immediately suspicious. The Retrieval and Capture Robots were given the command to capture _all _of the avian-human hybrids. "Subjects, you mean?"

The robot standing in front of her said in a monotone, "No. There is only the leader."

The woman knew any complaints would be wasted. After all, they were robots and not genetically modified human beings like she was.

She was one of Itex's subjects once, a being made invincible from physical attacks, but they had deemed her a failure.

How wrong they were.

They had tried to 'retire' her, but it was easy to escape them with her superior intelligence.

She had then sat back and watched as a group of _kids _destroyed Itex. What they didn't know, however, was that this experiment was ready to rescue Itex, and take it over.

Her strange, resilient steel-like skin stretched into a smile.

"Fine," She said crisply. "The leader is the only one I need."

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Fang's POV

I watched the sun rise through the trees. The scene was almost beautiful, but it didn't really matter. What mattered was that Max had left. Because of me. But also because she felt the need to give up her life to protect us.

Stupid, pig-headed, _stubborn _Max-

"Fang?"

I turned my head to see Iggy watching me with his sightless eyes. "Yeah?"

"Where's Max?" Iggy asked uncertainly. "I don't hear her. Breathing, I mean."

My fists tightened. I had my night to be alone and face the reality of Max leaving. Now was the time to step up and become leader.

Yeah, right. Like I could ever measure up to Max.

"She left, Ig," I said quietly.

Iggy's eyebrows drew together. "She… left? You said she went out for a short flight."

"She's not coming back," I said calmly.

"Why?" Iggy demanded. "What happened? Max wouldn't just leave us, don't play around Fang-"

I took a deep breath. "They're tracking her, so she left to keep us safe, and give us time to run."

"Wait, Fang, this isn't funny, Max wouldn't ditch us, and the kids. Don't just sit there calmly and…" Iggy suddenly stopped, his anger fading. "That's why you kept watch all night… You hoped she'd come back…"

I didn't answer; my fists clenched even more, and I took another deep breath to stay calm.

Iggy looked positively blown away. "But- did she see something in the files? … She couldn't have just…"

"She's gone, Ig," I said softly. "We have to do what she wants us to do: survive."

I didn't tell Iggy the rest of it. I didn't tell him how I could've convinced her to stay. I couldn't tell him that I was the one who drove Max away.

"What are we going to tell the others?" Iggy whispered dazedly. "When they wake up?"

"Angel already knows."

"But- Nudge and Gazzy-"

I remained silent, letting Iggy deal with the shock of Max leaving.

"Max is going to get hurt, and I know she wants to protect us, but she has to realize we'd want to be there with her if she gets hurt…" Iggy ground his teeth. "Nudge and Gazzy aren't going to like this. Even _Total's_ not going to like this, and he considers us all criminals."

I didn't like it either. I _hated _it.

Max could die as far as we would know.

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**Not a happy chapter, or a long one. Sorry! Like I said, I'll try and put the next one up soon, so please review! It might encourage me... hint hint...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: From 14 reviews to 3? Come on! Well, I have to give a big thank you to:**

**The Muse**

**YourMoosyFate**

**Toxic Rain42**

**Thanks for reviewing! I know there were a few favorites and alerts, so thank you guys too. **

**This chapter's a little short also, so I'll try and type up a nice, long chapter 5.**

**But here we go with Chapter 4:**

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Max's POV

I already missed the flock. I knew they'd be mad, really, really, mad, at me for leaving, but I'd always been willing to give up everything for them to be safe.

And now I had my chance. Lucky me, right?

I heard a noise behind me, something flying at super speed, something actually _gaining _on me. Crap. A jet? I wasn't at the right altitude for a jet though.

I turned to see about a dozen dark specks rapidly following me. Considering how fast I was flying, that's pretty dang fast. I mean, did Itex suddenly decide they wanted to start using missiles or something? Wouldn't be the first time they've gone to desperate lengths to kill me.

_Max, I must warn you, these are robots that will capture you no matter hard you fight, or how fast you fly. _

What?! I demanded in shock. So, you think I should actually _give up_? I mean, hello, did this Voice know me _at all_?

_A very powerful woman is after you. She's beyond intelligent. She's taken over Itex._

You've failed to mention that earlier, I thought furiously, watching the robots approach.

_It's all part of the bigger picture Max. You'll just have to get captured and remember you're doing this for your flock._

Beating my wings hard to stay steady in the air, I confirmed the fact I couldn't fly away. That didn't mean I was going to let them take me.

_Max, that's not a good idea. Just embrace what is, and don't try to change what can't be changed._

I ignored the Voice. It was becoming kinda chatty lately, which wasn't really a good thing.

_Max, you'll only cause yourself unnecessary pain._

Whatever, I snapped in my head. I'm so sure the Voice truly cared about my well being. I continued watching the robots fly closer. They slowed as they reached me, and finally stopped about thirty feet away. They slowly circled around me, leaving me trapped in the center.

Fine. It was going to be a fight anyway.

The robots were sleek and a gleaming silver. Geez, fancy. They had black eyes that seemed to be watching me. I wondered if they were purely mechanical or actually had life in them.

_Just metal, Max, no life. That doesn't mean they're not dangerous though._

Huh, I thought, since when have I fought something that wasn't dangerous?

The Voice didn't feel like answering.

I watched in unease as the robots slowly started flying closer. I tried dropping quickly, but the robots dropped too, keeping me surrounded.

Creepy. It was, like, a horror movie, watching the robots slowly glide forward. I tried shooting upward at about 300 miles per hour, but the robots zoomed upward with me. Then the robots whipped out guns.

I swore. So much for 'fighting' them. How was one mutant supposed to go against twelve robots that were freaking _armed_?

And then, faster than thought, unbelievable pain exploded through my shoulder. I uncomprehendingly looked down to see blood soaking my jacket at an alarming rate, and I dizzily wondered how even me, with my enhanced eyesight, could have missed the bullet that was now lodged in my shoulder.

_Told you…_ I heard the Voice murmured as I blacked out, in the robots' arms.

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Fang's POV

It was still early, so Iggy and I didn't have to deal with the younger kids yet. I decided to go on my blog, hoping it distract me from the one thing I couldn't stop thinking about: Max.

You are reading Fang's Blog. Welcome!

You are visitor number: 1,292,783

Any of you Ohio people: If you've happened to hear of a building randomly exploding, that was us. Or, rather, the Gasman and Iggy. It was one of the few Itex buildings still standing. They decided to fix that little problem and blow it up.

Unfortunately, that isn't the big news. Brace yourselves, this is a _really _big: Max left us. Now before you get any wrong ideas, she left us to protect us. Before we demolished the Itex headquarters we stole some papers from there, and Max found out that the scientists after us are tracking her. So she left us. It completely sucks that these wacko scientists will never leave us alone and continue to tear our lives apart.

-Fang

I swallowed. So much for distracting me from Max. I watched as comment after comment popped up.

"_What?! Max left! Why didn't you stop her, man!!!"_

"_She's on her own?! How could you guys let her go!?"_

"_Poor Max. Why won't those scientists leave you guys alone?!"_

"_Is Max coming back? Are you going after her? Are you going to meet up with her later? Is she going to be okay?"_

"_The Flock should have stopped her! What's wrong with you?!"_

"_Max shouldn't have left. You guys should stay together no matter what."_

I snapped the laptop shut. Iggy turned his face worriedly to me, but I ignored him. Nudge was stirring, probably wondering why she wasn't woken up, why Max had let her sleep in.

Let the questions begin.

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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you guys for the favorites and alerts! Always makes my day.**

**And thanks to the reviewers, for actually reviewing:**

**The Muse**

**anonymous**

**Asidill- I get what you're saying. Of course, there are the people who have my story as a favorite, or on alert, but haven't reviewed once. Plus, it's a little depressing to get 30+ hits when you first put up a new chapter and then only get 3 reviews. Thanks for still reviewing though. ;)**

**And a special thanks to my unofficial beta reader, AKA my sister. So if you see any mistakes, it's all her fault. JK. Thanks sis!**

**So here we go with Chapter 5:**

* * *

Max's POV

Okay, during my life as a mutant bird-kid, I've seen the _strangest _things. I'm not even exaggerating here. (As a mutant, would I even _need _to exaggerate anything?) I mean, first of all, there's _me._Would you really believe a kid could fly unless you actually saw one soaring with some sweet wings? And then there's all the stuff I've seen growing up in the School: kids with scales, feathers, fungus, and fur, not to mention animals with a mixture of all aforementioned traits. And then there are things like the brain on a stick I saw on one of my more recent trips to the School. And, oh yeah, can't forget Box-Boy with the visible organs. Ew.

And then there's Indestructible Women, who I met- am meeting- right now. Get this; her skin is seriously made out of _metal_. Like, steel skin. And it's weirdly _bendable_ which, believe me, is quite a sight to see. A human with impenetrable skin. I mean, _wow_. With her black eyes, I must admit she looked kind of robotish, especially with her hard-yet-flexible skin.

I'm thinking we need a quick recap here, although I assure you not much happened since I first regained consciousness. But here we go: I woke up, feeling extremely pissed, especially at my know-it-all Voice. I was in a plain, white room that contained a single cot and actually came with a simple bathroom. And then I made the discovery that my captors- their kindness never ends- had apparently removed the bullet in my shoulder and had stitched up my wound. Shortly afterward, some friendly robots escorted me to the room I was in now.

"Max," smiled the steel woman, her smile giving her face an eerie look. "Welcome to North Carolina."

"Y'know, I am really stumped as to how someone lives with metal skin. I mean, do you take a shower, or would you, like, rust?" Look, I think we all know I haven't got the best manners. Or more like none.

The woman nodded patiently as if I asked a simple question. "There are special materials in my skin that protect against anything like rust. As for personal hygiene, I'm surprised you've actually heard of a shower. I wouldn't have guessed looking at you now."

Well, I honestly did not expect that.

"Well maybe I'd have the luxuries of a home if people like you weren't always after me," I snarled, immediately switching to attack mode. "I mean, get a life. Or maybe a robot boyfriend. Maybe you could little botlets."

"I am the new director of Itex," the woman said smoothly as if I hadn't spoken. "Either you can join me, or you can be just another subject for us, to test and dispose of when needed."

"Like you weren't another subject yourself?"I sneered. I mean, this was unbelievable. "So, you become the new director, and have your own subjects? Totally disregard the fact that you were once like me? Forget the fact that 'subjects' are actually people?"

"Max, this may be hard for you to understand, but I'm working for something bigger than your attitude. Either way, you're useful to me, but it's up to you how the rest of your life goes."

The director's black eyes steadily looked at me. "Your choice. How about I give you a day to decide?"

I was about to say to her that I didn't need a day, that I wouldn't join her if my life depended on it, although it kind of did. Unfortunately, her stupid robot guards grabbed me and marched me down to my cell.

Which reminded me, I needed to have a serious talk with my Voice. I had just met the new Itex director. So I was 99.9% sure I was in the Itex headquarters, the main Itex building, the one where all the important information is kept. You know, the one that the Voice said was in Ohio.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd person POV

Nudge sat up and gazed around blearily. "Where's Max?"

Iggy nervously tapped his foot as Fang answered calmly, "She left, Nudge."

Nudge brightened. "To get food? I'm soooo hungry right now. Is that why she let us sleep in? Are we gonna have a real breakfast? Why didn't we just go to IHOP again? I like IHOP. Or are we just trying to lay low for a while…"

Nudge glanced from Fang to Iggy. "What? What is it?"

Fang sighed and called, "Gazzy, Angel!"

The younger members of the flock snapped awake, while Total also awoke unhappily. "What? You forgot about me? Who cares about us canines, right? We have feelings too!"

Akila barked her agreement from over by Nudge.

"What's wrong?" Gazzy asked. Angel silently picked herself up and went over to Fang. He gave her a little smile and pulled her into his arms.

Nudge couldn't contain herself. "What happened? Did Max not come back?"

Fang's voice was slow and steady. "Max left us because Itex is tracking her. We don't know when, or if, she'll get back to us."

The clearing was silent, the only noise the rustling of the trees surrounding them.

"That's not funny," Total said flatly.

Fang turned his dark gaze on to the black Scottie. "It's not supposed to be."

Gazzy and Nudge looked like they were struggling to understand what Fang had told them.

"Will she be okay?" Gazzy finally asked in a small, scared voice.

"I don't know," Fang said softly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later the flock was soaring in the sky, feeling downcast. No one, not even Nudge, had the appetite to eat breakfast at the moment.

"Why don't we find the nearest pay phone and give Dr. Martinez a call," Fang suggested. "There's a chance Max might've checked in with her."

"So what?" Iggy said bitterly. "We can find her and kidnap her, and make sure she never leaves us again?"

Fang frowned slightly, not really down with the whole 'leader' thing. "No, Iggy, we'd be able to see if she's okay so far. And if what Max is doing is working, then that means no one is after us. Max's mom is the only person we'd be safe to stay with."

Nudge looked up, faintly surprised that Fang talked more when he was leader.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Gazzy. "Like, are we just gonna wait for Max to come back? What if she doesn't come back?"

Fang studied the 8 year old boy, seeing him try and pull it together for his sister. "I don't know," he said finally. "Maybe we'll just hang out at Dr. M's for a while, and see what happens."

"Great plan," Iggy called sarcastically.

"He's trying," Angel snapped, unexpectedly defending Fang. "At least he's not thinking of how Max is probably going to die all the time."

"Well, just stay out of my head," Iggy growled.

This was the second time Fang had been leader of the flock for a period of time, and he wasn't doing well. Trying to keep it together for the remainder of his family, Fang kept his face smooth, hiding all anxiety. "I see a phone, guys. Let's land."

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**I hope you all don't mind I switched to 3rd person POV there. I find it hard to write in a guy's POV since I'm a girl and all.**

**Now, IMPORTANT QUESTION: Would you guys prefer longer chapters and longer updates, or shorter chapters and quicker updates? You can still answer the question, even though I've already updated!!!**

**As always, the readers' opinion counts, so please review!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: At the moment we're going with longer chapters and longer updates. Big thanks to Toxic Rain42! Yeah, Iggy was kinda depressing, but I think you might like the part he has later on in the story. **

**Sorry about the long update, I didn't mean to take _that_ long.**

**This chapter is dedicated to What? because... well... What? knows why. Thanks for your support!**

**Chapter 6 goes to What?:**

* * *

Max's POV

Guess what happened when I tried conversing with the Voice.

A. The Voice kindly gave me a reasonable explanation as to why I had been tricked and lied to.

B. The Voice completely ignored me. And then I was struck by the complete lunacy of yelling at a _voice _in my _head_. Because, yeah, there was quite a bit of mental yelling and swearing.

If you picked A, you're an idiot.

So here I was, stuck in some Itex place, where I could look forward to reliving my years at the School.

Thank God the rest of the flock wasn't here.

Because even though I was in absolute _hell_, at least I was doing it for my flock. I could only hope this new Itex director would leave them alone, because they deserved a normal life, assuming that life as we know it isn't going to be completely destructed. And yes, it's absolutely insane that one organization has the power to do that.

Since the Voice pulled its disappearing act, I realized I had absolutely nothing to do but wait until the director summoned me. Not to mention I had no way of telling the time in this windowless room.

"Kill me now," I groaned out loud, throwing myself onto the cot, as I prepared myself to wait for 24. Freaking. Hours.

* * *

Angel's POV

Sometimes it really sucked being able to read people's minds. Like now. We had just broke the news to Max's mom and Ella, and it was horrible listening to their thoughts. Dr. Martinez gave us a smile though. "You guys must be hungry. You're welcome to anything in the kitchen, and of course you can stay here as long as you want."

_Oh, God, I have to talk to Jeb. He has to know something. Why the hell would he want to leave in the middle of the night otherwise?_

I winced, and worked to tune out her thoughts.

"Where's Jeb?" Fang asked warily.

_If he has anything to do with any of this, I'll kill that son of a-_

I tuned his thoughts out too.

"He left a little bit ago," Dr. Martinez said carefully before changing the subject. "Want me to cook something? Ella and I already ate."

"It's okay, I'll make something," said Iggy heavily. Nudge wordlessly took his hand and led him to the kitchen. The rest of the flock followed, Total and Akila trailing after us.

"Hey Gasser, what's available?" asked Iggy, who was obviously unable to explore the kitchen's contents.

The Gasman opened up the fridge. "There's not much. Eggs, milk, some leftovers…"

Nudge looked through some of the other food. "Ravioli, Spam… some beans… and some rice. Do you know how to make rice, Ig?"

"Yeah," he replied, setting to work. Nudge and the Gasman aided him when possible, while Fang leaned against the wall, silent as usual. I didn't have to read his mind to know what _he_ was thinking about.

I hopped up on one of the chairs, and Total leaped onto my lap. He looked at me with his little doggy eyes. "It's okay, Angel. She's Max. She can survive anything."

I knew he was trying to cheer me up, but I wasn't a little girl anymore. Max was really strong, stronger than Fang even, or at least that's what the whitecoats used to always think. But either way, she wasn't invincible.

"Yeah, you're right," I lied.

Total looked rather unconvinced. His face seemed to be frowning. I usually didn't read his mind because he used a lot of big words and sometimes thought about stuff I didn't get.

"Max'll be okay." Total repeated, nuzzling against me.

"Yeah," I said again, looking away from his black eyes. I felt the tears coming.

"It's all right," came Fang's soft voice. He put his arm around me. "Max will find her way back to us. Somehow."

The rest of the flock was watching us now. Fang was usually not a cuddly person, but it felt really nice to snuggle into him right now.

I buried my face into his shoulder, and Fang held me, just like Max used to, as I cried.

* * *

Nudge's POV

Ella, Angel, and I were in Ella's room, while the boys were in another, with Total and Akila. We were sitting on Ella's totally awesome bed, which was blue and purple.

"Wouldn't that be so cool if we could live in a house again?" I couldn't help saying. "Since I guess Jeb isn't a traitor anymore, do you think we could go back to that house we used to live in? Or maybe Itex or the School or something would be able to find us there. Or maybe if Max-"

I bit my lip. What if Max didn't come back?

"I'm sure she'll be all right," Ella said, but she looked like she didn't believe what she was saying.

"I'm worried about Fang," Angel said distractedly.

"Why?" I said, startled. "He seems fine to me."

I was still shocked at seeing Fang open up like that. While comforting Angel, Fang had looked really, really sad. Like he didn't think we'd ever see Max again. I quickly pushed that thought out of my head.

"Yeah," said Ella. "He wasn't all tense and closed off like before. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"He thinks Max doesn't like him," Angel said, her blue eyes troubled. "I mean, _like_ like. You know, love."

"Well of course she likes Fang!" I didn't get how people got all weird when they loved each other, but it was sort of obvious with Max and Fang. I still remembered how Max kissed Fang that day on the beach. "He smiles more when he's around her and he likes teasing her and Max gets all annoyed with him, but it's different then when she gets mad at Iggy. I mean, you can just tell."

"I know," agreed Angel. "And especially with the Valium thing-"

"The huh?" I asked uncomprehendingly. "What's Valium?"

"Um," Angel said. "I forgot you wouldn't know about that."

"Valium is some kind of drug used to make people relax. My mom used it on Max," said Ella.

"Is this something you found out about by reading minds?" I asked Angel suspiciously.

"Well, yeah," Angel admitted. "Just don't tell the boys. Max would kill me."

"Let's hear it!" I said eagerly.

"Well, when Max got her chip removed, the Valium stuff made her say funny things," Angel giggled.

Ella grinned at me. "She told Fang she loved him."

My jaw dropped. "_Max_ said that?"

"Uh-huh," confirmed Angel. "But Fang thinks she didn't mean it. He thinks it was just the Valium."

"Oh!" I squealed. "But they would be so cute together!"

If Max was still alive, I couldn't help but think afterward.

"I know," said Angel, looking straight at me.

* * *

**A/N: You guys could still answer that question from the last chapter, about whether longer or shorter chapters are preferred. Thanks again, Toxic Rain42, for being the only person to answer that.  
And seriously, reviews make an author type faster...**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ****I guess for now we're going with... medium chapters? It's pretty divided. For those of you who still haven't answered, feel free to do so.**

**And thank you:  
Sydney! Thanks a million. I love your reviews, they make me smile. ;)  
Shahz- That did help, thank you!!!  
The Muse- Er, sorry about that. I fixed those.  
JASPERxHALE-YES- Um... thanks for taking the time to review. I appreciate your enthusiasm.  
SeekDreamsAndFindHope- Thanks! I'm getting a pretty divided opinion though, some people actually don't mind the wait.  
XxFluTePrinCessX- Wow, that's actually a great idea. It'd be kinda like a compromise.  
mandkxo-Thanks!  
What?- That'd be awesome if you got a fanfiction account. You know, I didn't think I'd actually get one, but now I'm really glad I did. And I did try Total's POV, but... well, it sucked. Total's hard, so I think I'm gonna skip him. And you totally deserved the chapter. The different POVs idea was great, because I was dangerously close to writer's block.  
sara_starship999- Thanks. So, I guess I should count your vote as shorter chapters then? Because I would take longer to update otherwise.**

**Chapter 7:**

* * *

The Gasman's POV

Dr. Martinez let us stay in the guest room. It was sometime in the afternoon, but we had nothing else to do. We had already done a lot of flying to get here.

"Should we go look for Max?" I asked. How could we do _nothing_? With Max, we always had a plan. It used to suck to always be doing something, but just waiting around was worse. Way worse.

"Where would we look?" sighed Iggy, leaning against the headboard of the bed.

"We could, like, look through those papers again," I suggested. "Maybe if we find a location."

"Max might not actually be captured," Iggy reminded me.

"But still! We could check it out anyway." Was it because Iggy really thought Max was dead?

"You're starting to take after Nudge," Iggy said, annoyed.

I wanted to yell at them. When Angel was taken, Max went after her. Why would we not go after Max? Just because Max left on her own didn't mean we couldn't still convince her to come back.

"I already looked through every paper," said Fang finally.

"When?" I demanded. I mean, when would Fang have had the time?

"The night Max left," said Fang simply, but I thought I saw his jaw tighten. "I used one of our flashlights."

Oh.

* * *

Max's POV

So here I was, having the greatest time of my life.

Not. More like the complete opposite actually.

It's one thing to be bored. It's quite another to be bored _and_ stressed. Take my word for it.

There was absolutely _nothing_ to do besides worry about the flock, and myself. Plus, the whiteness was starting to drive me crazy. Because, you know, I didn't see _enough_ of the color white on our recent trip to Antarctica.

I looked up as a kidnapper turned escort turned delivery robot entered with some food and then departed quickly before I could even react. I stared at the food, my mouth watering, and I debated. My head was throbbing, I was mucho tired, and my shoulder hurt _a lot. _I wanted nothing more to relax and eat some much needed food. I mean, I was still dizzy form the amount of blood I had lost. But what it there was, like, something in the food? Call me hopelessly paranoid, but my paranoia has saved the flock on _many_ occasions. I finally decided it didn't matter, and anyway, the director would probably want to keep it friendly until she heard my decision. After _that_, however, things might get a little unfriendly.

Decision made, I scarfed down the meal without even registering what I was eating. There was a glass of water, and I sucked that down just as fast. It was a relief to finally eat something.

I briefly wondered if I could somehow use the plastic tray as a weapon or something, but a tray wasn't much protection against bullets. Unfortunately.

And then I was faced with complete and utter boredom. Again.

* * *

Fang's POV

Fang sighed, watching Iggy and the Gasman sleep. He knew they were hurting over Max leaving, and that they were worried they wouldn't ever see Max again. At first, Fang had thought that they were right. But now…

Max would be mad at him. Extremely. But she shouldn't have left in the first place, no matter what Fang had said to her. Fang looked at his sleeping roommates one more time. He remembered seeing Nudge crying, with Dr. M holding her. He remembered holding Angel, and how it felt to see her cry.

He got up quickly and silently walked across the room to slide open the window. He threw himself out without hesitation, unfurling his wings and moving them powerfully to stay airborne. He headed northeast, not looking back.

Back inside the room, an open laptop was sitting on the floor, its screen glowing in the darkness. There was a message opened up:

_They have Max. 35.78 N, 78.64 W _

_She has two days._

* * *

**A/N: Those are actual coordinates, somewhere in Raleigh, NC. Hopefully. I apologize if it actually turns out being in the middle of a lake or something. **

**I think I'm going to have to bring Erasers into my next fanfic. I mean, the sudden attacks, the high speed chases, and the fights. The kind of stuff that made me fall in love with Maximum Ride in the first place. With all the robots it just feels... I dunno, a little bland I guess.**

**Anyway, reviews appreciated and loved. As always.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yeah, I know, it's been a while. Feel free to yell at me. On the plus side, I do have the next chapter typed out. **

**My awesome reviewers:  
What? - Thanks! :)  
YourMoosyFate - Yeah, everything was so exciting with the Wolf guys. And you'll see who sent the message in the next chapter, I think...  
Shahz- Seriously, thanks for still supporting me. And you'll just have to wait and see what's going to happen... ;)  
Fang Raven - Yep, I sometimes feel the need to whack my friends with something too. And let me know if anyone's out of character, because Fang and Max's POV are actually the hardest for me. Thanks!****  
Toxic Rain42 - Before. It was supposed to be the reason Fang left. Sorry that part wasn't very clear. :)  
JASPERxHALE-YES - You'll have to wait and see... :D  
Purple Nails - Thank you so so much! I believe you are my newest reviewer! And yes, Fang did see the note before he left. I think this is a long chapter, but my chapters tend to shrink when they're moved from Microsoft to here.**

**Okay, onward to Chapter 8:**

* * *

Nudge's POV

Angel had wanted to sneak into the boys' room during the night, and I had kinda wanted to too, but I didn't want to hurt Ella's feelings. Or worry her with a sudden disappearance.

Angel and I had woken up early out of habit, but Ella was still asleep, when suddenly we heard Iggy yell some very bad words. The kind of words that wouldn't have been said if Max was around.

"So what?! The BLIND guy is in charge now?! Well that's just freaking great!" Iggy continued to shout. What was wrong? Fang was in charge, did something happen to Fang?

Ella sat up groggily, very different from the way Max trained us to wake up in emergency. "What's goin' on?" She asked sleepily, alarmed.

"I don't know," I said already running toward the room, Angel at my side. Oh God, we already lost Max, what if Fang was gone too? I didn't know what we'd do. Iggy was really awesome and strong even though he was blind, but he was never really a leader type of person.

Angel and I burst through the door, and Iggy turned toward us, looking really angry.

Scanning the room, I took note of everything, like Max taught us to. The window was open, but it didn't look like a fight had been in here. Total and the Gasman were just sitting on the bed, staring at Fang's laptop, and Akila was sitting by Iggy's feet. Fang was gone.

"What happened to Fang? What's wrong Iggy?" A horrible thought crossed my mind. "Did Fang decide he didn't want to stay with us? Did he _leave_?"

That couldn't be true. Fang loved us, like Max, although he didn't say it or show it like Max did. But why would Iggy be so mad?

Angel just looked at Gazzy. It must be so nice to read minds and know what's going on instantly.

"Someone _tell me_ what's happening!" I demanded.

"Fang went off to save Max!" Iggy answered angrily. "And of course we'd only slow him down. _Of course_ we'd only get in the way. 'Cause Fang is Superman, able to do everything himself!"

Wait, whaaat?! "Fang went to save Max, _by himself_? He just went off alone? But how would he even know where Max is? Why wouldn't he at least tell us?"

Total barked angrily. Total must be really mad, since he's barking, not talking.

"I thought we were passed this splitting up thing," Iggy muttered.

"I say we go after him," Gazzy said unexpectedly. Dr. Martinez and Ella suddenly showed up, wanting to know what was wrong, but we ignored them.

"Fang will probably need our help, whatever he thinks," the Gasman continued. "And we should be there. The coordinates are here, in the message. It shouldn't be too hard."

"Fang's gone?" Max's mom asked us sharply.

Iggy smiled slowly, startling us all. "Yeah. And we're going to be right behind him."

* * *

Iggy's POV

The five (we convinced Total to leave Akila) of us were sitting in an plane, heading to the capital of North Carolina. Angel already knew the drill, thank God: Convince everyone it was normal for a dog to have its own seat and meals, get us all three meals each, make sure none of the passengers were trying to kill us, etc. Good thing, 'cause I wouldn't have thought of all that. Dr. M had actually paid for our trip. How had she gotten the money? From Jeb apparently. So I wasn't complaining.

Okay, so I was a little nervous. I was in charge of the younger ones, and although Angel and Gazzy were very supportive, I could tell Nudge was a little reluctant. Speaking of Nudge, or more like Nudge eternally speaking-

"Isn't that so weird though? How the message is just like the one Fang got before? Like, it's untraceable and we can't respond to it and all. So is it from the same person? Although they were wrong before because Angel wasn't actually a traitor. What if they're wrong now?"

Then we were screwed.

"Nudge, can it, please," I said shortly.

Look, I wasn't an expert at this being in charge business.

Nudge huffed loudly in annoyance.

I felt a flutter of panic. What was I even doing? I was _blind_, for heaven's sake! I was leading the _kids_ plus a _dog_ to help out Fang. Heck, Total would probably be a better leader than me. I was probably going to run into Max and Fang on their way back, looking like a complete idiot. Who was _I_ going to rescue?

"You're doing the right thing," came Angel's reassuring voice. I sighed. I was being comforted by one of the kids I was supposed to be taking care of.

"Max has doubts too, you know," she went on. I snorted. Yeah, Max not knowing what to do. Right. She _always_ had a plan.

"And lies when she doesn't have one," Angel said in a softer voice so the others wouldn't hear us. "Remember that day on the beach? When Max had cut herself? She isn't always a perfect leader."

"Yeah. She was stressed though, because she's _always_ the boss, and on top of that, she's supposed to save the world," I said back to her, but that memory still bothered me. Max was usually so tightly in control, that hardly any of us realized how much everything was getting to her. Max was always just _there_, taking care of us.

I was starting to respect Max more, the way she handled things, but there was no way I'd tell _her_ that.

"And you won't tell her either, right Ange?"

"'Course not, Iggy," the little mind reader said sweetly.

Right then, a familiar scent, or more like stink, drifted across the interior of the plane. Nudge groaned, and I heard passengers start to complain.

"Gasser," I hissed. Couldn't he like, hold it in or something?

"Sorry," he answered sheepishly, while Total growled in irritation.

This was going to be a long ride.

* * *

Max's POV

I couldn't sleep, as I'm sure you can imagine. I was banging my head against the wall, doing this sort of "My flock is safe" chant, trying not to go insane. Or maybe I already was. Did it really matter?

_The flock is safe, the flock is safe_, I repeated over and over in my head. I was interrupted by a robot entering the room. So, the 24 hours were over, were they? Just a guess, because sadly, the 'bot wasn't carrying any food with it.

I was once again escorted to the Director's room. I performed my usual scan, but I doubted there was anything I could use that could penetrate that weird skin.

The Director gave a big smile as she saw me, her 'skin' bending strangely around her mouth. "So, Max, I assume you've given some serious thought and consideration to the offer I presented you with?"

Uh... if performing a listless chant means giving 'serious thought and consideration'…

"Yes," I said as professionally as I could. "But if I am to work with you, I need to agree with what you're working with. I need to know what your plan for the world is."

What can I say? I was a curious little birdy. Maybe if I could find a way to escape later, or somehow contact Fang, I could let them know what was going on.

Fang… I felt my throat tighten, but carefully arranged my features so I looked interested in the whole 'destroy the world' plan.

The Director smiled in a satisfied way. "Of course. It's very simple and similar to other plans before mine. Those that are strong enough to live are the ones that _will_ live. I am sure you have heard of the term 'survival of the fittest'? Those who are weak will perish."

I was getting extreme déjà vu. The former Director had the same ideas: perfect world with perfect people yada yada yada. So Steel Woman had a slightly different idea. Still completely insane.

"And the ones who deserve to live will be able to live, without being dragged down by pathetic humans," I said as smartly as I could. I was an _amazing _actress. It was almost kind of fun.

The Director nodded in agreement. "You see the brilliance of my plan."

More like _lunacy_.

"So you see Max, if you help me, we can own the world, make it better. We would not destroy it. We would live freely and strongly. We'd be powerful."

What, so we could conquer the aliens?

"Maximum Ride," the Director said, looking at me with her creepy black eyes. "Will you help me?"

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, so what will Max say? **

**And hey, hopefully you all have already, but if you haven't SIGN ST. FANG OF BOREDOM'S PETITION against Kristen Stewert and Robert Pattinson playing Max and Fang in the movie. They're both too old and don't look the part.**

**But anyways, review please! Or go to Saint's profile and sign the petition. Or do both, that would be nice.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So I'm going on a trip to Canada for a few days, and I thought I'd go ahead and update before I left. Pretty long chapter too, so there you go.**

**The wonderful reviewers:  
The Muse- *sigh* Yeah, I know I can. But it's so freakin' hard sometimes... :)  
Ella Meadows- Oh, thanks! Could you point out the typos though so I can fix them?  
Shahz- The 'try and get away part' is really close, but there's still a few twists coming up... And _I_ personally think infiltrating the place would be the smart thing to do, but that would be kinda out of character for Max.  
Amy- I guess it's good I sent them all to North Carolina then. =D  
OnlyAtTwilight- Thank you, especially for reviewing more than once! Yeah, so that one part _was_ overdone? Don't worry, I wasn't planning on having Max become a double agent in this chapter. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!  
bookwurm96- Thanks. 'stupid lazy butt people', LOL. I needed that. :-D  
cleo272- Thanks!  
Fang Raven- Rob and Kristen are fine actors, but they're too old! I'm glad you signed the petition, and thanks for continuing to support my story!**

**Chapter 9:**

* * *

Max's POV

"Why not?" I answered in a falsely bright voice. "So, how are you planning to kill the billions of imperfect people in the world?"

The woman's metal eyebrow twitched.

"Nuclear weapons maybe? And how exactly do I fit into your oh-so-great plan? 'Cause I am _so_ ready to destroy innocent lives. Just call me Little Miss Mass Murderer."

The Director frowned slightly. "You are smarter than that, Max. Do not paint this picture against me. It's not like that."

"Oh?" I snarled, any fake friendliness gone. "How about _you_ don't paint this picture of perfectness. Get _real_. You can't just kill everyone and expect everything to be all flowers and sunshine afterwards. I'm pretty sure radiation is still a danger to people who are already mutants. Unless, of course, you have another weapon besides nuclear bombs!"

_Max, you always have impressed me. I'm glad you didn't let me down._

Oh, man. The Voice. Clearly I had one thing to do in this situation: Explode.

"Oh, my God, now you suddenly decide to show up! You're _impressed_! Well I don't give a rip! I can't believe I'm saying this, but _Jeb_ was a better Voice than you! And _that's_ extreme!"

Okay, so if I wasn't so majorly pissed, so totally mad, it would've been hilarious to see the Director look at me as if I'd gone loony. Behind me, the Director's Robo Guards edged forward, clearly uncomfortable with my less than sane reaction.

_Max, I understand you're upset-_

"Oh? Well, _buddy_, I'm a little more than upset!" I practically shrieked. "What is wrong with this world!? Where there are _Schools,_ and _Institutes_, and _Directors_ who all want to save the world but are filling it with their crazy plans of murdering everyone!"

_Max, you need to calm down. You got the information I sent you here for-_

And then- bam -smart little bird-kid I am, I figured it out. The Director had said I was in good ole North Carolina. The real Itex headquarters was in _North Carolina _and not _Ohio._ The Voice had gone through an elaborate plan from sending me to a fake headquarters to planting information there, just to get me to ditch the flock and find out what this mad Director was planning.

I noted the Director giving an order to take me back to my cell, and then I completely lost my head, fighting against the 'bots uselessly, getting bruises from chopping their metal limbs. _Ouch_.

_Max, settle down. You can't fight them. And anyway, Fang is on his way to help you._

Yeah, because I'm _totally_ gonna believe what you have to say, I snarled mentally, finally gaining enough sense to stop yelling aloud. I also quit punching the robots. In case you weren't aware of this, metal is freaking _hard_.

And this _could not _get any worse.

_Max, listen to me. The only thing I lied about was that building in Ohio being the headquarters for Itex. All I knew was what one of my associates found out; that Itex was tracking you, and you specifically. I needed to know what they were up to, so I sent you._

Sent me? That's a pretty gentle term for what you did, I thought viciously. I finally registered the fact that I was once again in my cell, the robots gone.

_You're pretty impulsive sometimes, when you believe your flock is in danger. I knew you might not trust me, so yes, I did set all that up._

I had a new goal in life: Track down annoying Voice owner and strangle him. Or her.

Of course, this was all assuming I got out of here alive.

_Max, listen to me, help is on its way._

Sure it is.

* * *

Fang's POV

Fang pushed himself to the limit, straining his wings, only stopping when he absolutely had to. He flew harder than he ever had before, forcing himself to get to North Carolina as soon as he could.

Now would be an excellent time to gain the ability to teleport, Fang thought. Or super speed, like Max.

He thought about Max, about how pissed she would be when he came for her, but it'd be worth it. At that moment he didn't care whether or not Max liked him. He only focused on getting to her.

Before it was too late.

* * *

Angel's POV

It was really weird flying in a plane. I never got used the feeling. It felt good in a way, being able to look at the skies from up here, but it was like… like…

"I don't think I'll ever get used to being in a plane. I mean, we have wings. It's like, I don't know, a mermaid traveling in a boat or something," Nudge was saying.

"Yeah," I agreed, looking at all the clouds. I _so _wished I could be out there, flying with my own wings… If only we were faster than a plane. And we didn't get tired. Because, as Iggy explained to me, if we flew on our own he'd have to carry Total most of time, and it'd also take longer with all the stops and stuff.

I suppose it was nice being able to fly and having access to the bathroom and meals at the same time.

Anyway.

"So, what's our plan?" Gazzy turned to ask Iggy.

"Uh." Iggy said.

_Plan, plan, what's my plan? Oh yeah, don't have one. Right. Gotta make it up._

Uh-oh. I wondered how Iggy would do.

"Well, we're going to just follow Fang, see if he needs help. You know, like back up," Iggy said, scratching his head. "Something like that."

_Good job Iggy, _I sent to his mind. Y'know, he wasn't doing so bad.

* * *

Max's POV

I immediately tensed when the door opened, and the devil queen herself walked into the room, flanked by a couple of robot guards.

"Obviously, Max, you are very unstable," she said briskly. "There is something wrong with your brain, most likely."

Well, I don't know, maybe it's the Voice in my head? Seems like a pretty likely cause for instability, if you ask me.

"And since you will not accept my help, something must be done with you," she continued.

"Uh-huh," I said. "So let me guess, this is going to cause a lot of pain on my part, right?"

"You're getting you're wings removed. I have a couple specialists here to carry out the procedure," the Director said, making my blood run cold. "It should take a couple of days."

"_Excuse_ me?" I demanded, feeling a rush of panic, which I struggled to push down. "You're _not _serious. _No one_ is touching my wings!"

"You're an experiment, Maximum." The woman's face was literally carved out of metal, hard and without a shred of mercy. Or _sanity_. "I want to see how well you can adapt. Maybe you'll decide to work with me after you finish your lesson in adaptation."

Of course. Some people have math lessons, flute lessons, dance lessons… but I get a freaking 'see how well you survive after some of your body parts are chopped off' lesson.

"You sicko! You can't- You-" A mix of hatred and panic made me unable to talk coherently.

"Take her to the labs," the Director ordered, walking away.

The robots marched me down the hallways, and then the smell hit me, bringing back a flood of terrible memories.

Terrible, painful memories.

* * *

Half an hour later I stumbled back into my cell, lightheaded from all the blood they'd taken from me. I had discovered actual humans were here, scientists to draw blood for God-knows-what and take X-rays and junk. When I tried to talk to the guys, they completely ignored me, and what with the Robo dudes still with me I had no choice but to go with what they wanted me to do. And I do _not_ take orders well.

Head pounding, exhaustion dragging me down, I made it through the doorway already trying to plot my escape. Well, trying to plot my escape with a renewed effort. But I immediately noticed something different about the room.

There were _two_ cots now. And guess who was sitting in the second one.

* * *

**So, any guesses? Probably isn't too hard. Anyway, I'll try and update when I get back! Feel free to review...**

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Yeah, I'm going to warn you this chapter is very, very short. I just felt so bad for not updating for so long, so I just put it up.**

**Congratulations to JASPERxHALE-YES and** **sILENCEmAXIMUMdARKO! Nice guess!**

**Thank you to Ella Meadows, Toxic Rain42(Good idea - I kinda wish I had thought of that.), maxride333, and Mikkie. And no problem, more FAX is coming up. **

**Chapter 10:

* * *

**"My_ hero_," I said scathingly, glaring at my new cellmate. "My knight in shining armor."

Fang didn't say anything, just closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

I ground my teeth and waited. "Well?" I finally asked.

Fang opened his eyes. "Well what?"

"Your plan! Your wonderful, brilliant plan to rescue me!" I demanded furiously. "Or did you suddenly go insane in my absence and decide to purposely get captured?! How did you even find out where I was?! And what are you even doing!? I left to protect you, you idiot! What is wrong with you!?"

Fang answered none of these questions. "Admit it. You feel glad I'm here with you."

And deep, deep down inside, I did feel that way. I was relieved to have someone with me besides my crazy old Voice. But was I going to admit it to Fang? Nope. "Yeah Fang, I am so absolutely ecstatic that my best friend is captured and is now in _hell_ with me. Just makes my day."

Fang looked at me, unperturbed. "The kids are safe, just to let you know."

He didn't say anything more. We both knew there was a good chance there were mikes or cameras hidden in here.

Fang took in my dirty, once-blue jacket. The whole right side was covered in dried blood. "You okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I got shot, no biggie," I said. I had bigger concerns. Like the fact I was getting my wings removed and I _really_ needed to escape, except I was so tired I could barely stand.

Fang was still watching me carefully. "What's wrong?"

"Like _you _care," I muttered, surprising myself. "You're the one who told me to leave."

"I'm sorry," Fang said quietly, so I could barely hear him. I blinked. Fang _apologizing_. I was pretty sure my lack of sleep was causing hallucinations, but…

"Come again?" I asked cautiously, just in case.

"Max," he said, smiling slightly. "We're in a sealed room. You can't run away this time."

Fang leaned forward, and I just had enough time to curse him for being right. I was trapped in here. I _couldn't_ run away.

And then Fang and I were kissing. Again.

My sleep deprived mind was thinking: Oh hey, this is nice. Really, really nice. _Very _nice. What was I so afraid of? I should do this more often.

And what was the more alert part of my mind thinking? Honestly, about the same thing.

* * *

**I've got the next two chapters written, but I still have to type them up. I promise try and put up the next two chapters this weekend.**

**R&R?**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm am so freaking happy right now! Thank you sILENCEmAXIMUMdARKO, Allien McFunkington, and pinkcatheaven for adding me as a favorite author! You guys rock!**

**ToxicRain42: I know it was short, but yeah, I _was _just trying to get the story moving again. Thanks for reviewing!  
Asidill: Lol, even Fang makes mistakes sometimes...  
Purple Nails: I know, I have issues updating. I really am going to try harder to get the next chapters up soon. And I'm glad you liked the chapter, even though it was super short. :)  
Allien McFunkington: Thanks so much! I love your enthusiasm. =D  
OMG HEH HEH: Um, that's not _quite _where I'm going with this. But thanks anyway.  
pinkcatheaven: Lol, I did recognize you when you reviewed. I'm so glad you like my story! Thank you! But btw, what happened to yours? I thought you updated, but for some reason I couldn't find it... **

**Chapter 11:**

Nudge surveyed the sign in front of the new, high-tech looking building. "Nexicon. Kinda like Itexicon, right?"

Iggy nodded. "Okay troops. This is it. Max is taken POW and Fang is MIA. It's all up to us. So here's our plan: we break in, check it out, and if it's the wrong building we scram like a teed off Max is after us. Got it?"

"What a genius plan," Total said sarcastically, resting his head on his front paws. The five of them were crouched behind bushes across the street from the Nexicon building.

"Looks pretty Itex-ish," Nudge offered.

"Yeah," Gazzy put in. "Look at that big fancy gate."

"Plus it's the only building around here," Nudge added.

"Okay," said Angel, her eyebrows drawn in concentration. "I can feel Max and Fang's mind, but I can't hear what they're thinking."

"Fang's here? Where?" Nudge asked. "Is he going to rescue Max? Or did he get captured too? _Oh no_, what if we all get trapped—"

Iggy took a deep breath. "Well if we all get caught then at least we'll all be together. That's how the flock should be, right? Now guys, how do you think we could get in?"

"You're the leader, you tell us," said Total.

"You guys can _see_," Iggy said irritably. "I can't, remember? So how do you think we can get in?"

The three bird kids plus one dog scanned the building and the surrounding area.

"There's a big black gate," Angel relayed to Iggy. "It looks pretty un-climbable, but we might be able to fly over if we're careful. There are four guards patrolling and two at the gate entrance. The doors are pass code protected. Nudge should be able to take care of that. Once we get inside there are robots and scientists walking around, but I think we can avoid them."

The Gasman stared at his little sister. "Angel… you sound like Max."

Angel only smiled.

"Well, you heard the girl," Iggy said. "Let's move."

* * *

I was having that old dream again. The one where good old fashioned Erasers were chasing me. But even though I knew Erasers were long gone, I still felt the burning need to get away. Maybe it was because of all the bloodthirsty growling and snarling behind me.

_Run faster_, I told myself. _You just have to make it to the cliff_.

But something bothered me in this dream. Something was different. I didn't have time to figure out what, because the wolf guys were gaining on me.

The trees in front of me were finally thinning, and with a sense of relief I sprinted toward the light ahead. I weaved through the last of the trees and kept going. Reaching the edge of the cliff, I hurled myself into the open air and away from the Erasers… and realized the difference between this dream and the dreams I've had before.

_I didn't have wings._

With heart-stopping clarity I saw the rocky ground rushing up to meet me. My dream-self closed its eyes in terror, ready to feel the impact any second…

* * *

"Max!" Fang's voice jolted me out of my nightmare.

"What?!" I gasped, sitting up quickly. I pushed back my sweaty hair and turned to see Fang's concerned face looking at me.

"You had a nightmare," he unnecessarily informed me.

"I know that," I snapped, shaken. God, I really hope I didn't suddenly become physic. I could still remember that helpless feeling of falling...

Fang came over to sit by me. "Max, you'll be okay. I'll always be here for you, and don't you ever forget that."

I leaned against Fang, and he put his long arm around my shoulders. "That sounds nice," I murmured tiredly.

Fang smirked. "You're still exhausted, aren't you?"

I _was_. I hoped that was why I was so comforted by Fang. I did _not_ want to be some lovesick teenager. Nope, no boy was going to make me go all girly.

Although a few hours ago I _did _kiss Fang back. And I guess now we were 'together'. I wasn't completely sure. We'd kissed, and then I'd acted like nothing had happened and told Fang about the Director's plan to remove my wings. But he'd also had this annoying self satisfied smirk the whole time. And I had felt a little, I don't know, giddy? Ugh, not a word I like to use to describe myself. Finally Fang had urged me to go to sleep and I had practically passed out from exhaustion.

"So, are we officially together now?" Fang asked, pretty much reading my mind. I noticed he still had that stupid smirk on his face.

"You tell me," I said with a glare. And then _I _kissed _him_.

I was so head over heels, right?

* * *

The remainder of the flock managed to get inside the building after a couple of close calls.

"Not too bad," Iggy said. "Could've been worse."

"Yeah, if Angel wasn't here," the Gasman said. "That guy was about to shoot us, until Angel zapped him with her mind control."

"I wish Max were here," Total said glumly. "Her break-ins were much more fun."

"I'm trying to get Max!" Iggy said angrily. "Now shut up and find a place to hide, I hear something coming."

Nudge grabbed Iggy's hand and pulled him along. Several seconds later she stopped and Iggy heard the sound of a door shutting behind him.

"Where are we?" Iggy breathed very, very quietly.

"A room full of… white coats," Nudge said softly.

* * *

**Basically for Max's POV it's just going to be FAX for a little bit, 'cause there's not much else I can do. I mean we've got Max and Fang trapped in one little room, and unless I feel like making them get in a fight, which I kind of don't...**

**Anyway, if you'd rather not have too much FAX, let me know! I could just focus on Iggy and crew, or something. So R&R?**


	12. Chapter 12

**StarofCalamity: Thank you! **

**Allien McFunkington: Mucho enthusiasm indeed! Gracias! ;) Teacup Max, lol. Angel _is_ like Max sometimes, isn't she?**

**Marlee With a Temper: Thanks!**

**mintyfresh: Read and review, which you did, so thanks! :)**

**Chapter 12:**

* * *

"No," the Gasman said stubbornly. "Now you're being too much like Max."

Iggy took a deep, frustrated breath. "Look buddy, the 'bots out there will figure something's up if a kid is running around in a lab coat. Nudge, on the other hand, is over five feet tall. 'Sides, Angel is staying."

"But she's communications," said Gazzy. "Besides, _you're _the one who's blind."

"Really?" Iggy tried to keep his anger in check. "I'm blind? Thanks for telling me. It doesn't matter; I can follow Nudge or Total."

But that wouldn't work, Iggy realized. Total would definitely sound an alarm, and someone would surely notice both Iggy and Nudge walking together. Two strangers in lab coats would hardly be normal, not in a place like this.

"I can do it," Nudge said. "Just stay here, Ig. I'm just scouting, right?"

"Whatever," Iggy snapped. "I'll stay. Just hurry up."

Nudge pulled on one of the white coats. There were some supplies in the room so Nudge grabbed a clipboard, too. For good measure she pulled an elastic band from her pocket and twisted her wild hair into a tight bun.

"Nudge, be careful," Iggy added as the girl slipped out to search the building.

Iggy waited, praying a scientist wouldn't come banging into the room while they waited for Nudge.

* * *

"Jackpot," Angel grinned a few minutes later. "Nudge found the control room for the 'bots.

"Perfect!" Iggy said, his face lighting up. "You're up, Ange. Lead us on."

Angel quietly slipped out of the room, Iggy following her almost imperceptible sounds. The Gasman followed, carrying Total.

_Someone's coming_, Angel sent to Iggy's mind. _Five steps then take a left. There's a hallway._

The three of them ducked into the hallway and shortly after a whitecoat walked by, the heels of her shoes clicking against the hard floor.

The crew carefully navigated through the building, dodging into side hallways and occasionally random rooms. They seemed incredibly lucky—they never got caught.

"I don't know, something feels wrong," the Gasman said anxiously, but Iggy quickly shushed him.

"We're here," Angel later said in relief, and Nudge appeared behind them. Apparently she had been pacing down the hallways, trying not to attract attention.

They entered the room, and it was filled with a bunch of high tech computers and devices.

"Holy _cow_," Gazzy said, awed. "Now all we have to do is hack into these computers… and change the 'bots so they're working for _us_."

"This feels a little weird though," Nudge said. "There should be guards or something in here, you know?"

"Yeah, something feels off," Angel said worriedly. "Gazzy was right, something is wrong."

Iggy rolled his eyes. "You guys worry too much. We're here. We'll shortly be in control. We'll soon have our own command of a robot army."

* * *

Fang and I both tensed as two robots entered out room. They were clearly waiting for me to come with them. Fat chance of that.

"Max, listen to me," Fang said, his dark eyes intense. "Whatever happens, we'll always have each other."

As Fang gazed at me with an unusual amount of emotions it suddenly hit me how perfect together we were. Sometimes I couldn't do it alone, and when that happened, I needed Fang. I needed him more than I'd like to admit.

As much as I hated emotions, I tried to process what I was feeling at the moment.

-scared, definitely. Would Fang and I destroy our friendship if we went on with whatever we had together? Plus there was the whole wing thing, which I was a tad anxious about. Flying was one of the best parts of my suckish life, and I just might not be able to do that anymore.

-worried, for myself, and especially for the flock.

-seriously pissed, mostly at being a captive _again_.

-and there was also wonder? At how Fang and I perfectly belonged together. Even held captive in the middle of an Itex hellhole Fang managed to brighten my day. He was here for me, comforting me, and it felt so dang nice.

"Fang," I finally admitted as we looked into each other's eyes. "I'm glad you're here."

It was an incredibly sappy moment, let me tell you.

And Fang could have said anything. He could've teased me, reminded me I'd told him that before under the influence of Valium, could've rubbed it in. I would've whacked him if he did.

But instead, Fang put his lips on mine, tilting his head so we were closer, and we were kissing. Everything, even the 'bots at the door, just melted away. I put my arms around Fang's neck and hugged myself nearer to him, and felt his arms tighten around my back.

It was just me and Fang, in our own perfect little world.

* * *

"Really, this was too easy," Iggy said smugly, although there was starting to be an edge of concern in his voice. How could an all powerful organization like this be so easy to take over? Nudge, with a little help from Gazzy, had managed to reprogram the robots to do their will. The 'bots were on their way to Max and Fang's cell, and Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total were monitoring the cameras to watch their progress.

Iggy's heart leapt in his throat. The cameras! He'd forgotten about the cameras. There were cameras in this place, in the hallways. Surely they had been noticed when they snuck in. Surely someone had seen them sneaking around the halls. There was a reason everything was so easy, this was somehow a trap—

"Oh, my God, Max and Fang are making out!" Nudge practically yelled. "The robots made it to their cell and now Max and Fang ARE KISSING INTENSELY!"

"WHAT!?" Thoughts of a possible ambush fled Iggy's mind as the flock started talking excitedly. "Oh, my God, you're kidding!!!"

* * *

**It feels like my different POVs are getting shorter and shorter... I don't know. I'll work on getting more details in. :) Review?**


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